FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Chepses, Dengersa Claim SunTrust Richmond Marathon Titles
Towett, Calle set course records in McDonald's Half Marathon
Record-size field of 16,106 highlights 33rd running of event
RICHMOND, VA - Mark Chepses, 34, of Kenya took first place at the 2010
SunTrust Richmond Marathon, his first marathon title in the United States,
with a time of 2:19:13. Also, 30-year-old Tezeta Dengersa of Turkey was the
first female to cross the finish line, clocking in at 2:49:10.
In the third year of the McDonald's Half Marathon, two new course records
were set. Kenya's George Towett, 26, won the men's division in 1:03:44,
breaking the course record of 1:06:02 set in 2009 by Nicolas Kurgat.
Richmond's own Maria Elena Calle, 35, claimed her first McDonald's Half
Marathon title in front of thousands of cheering fans with a
record-breaking time of 1:16:05.
Daniel Kipkoech, 23, of Kenya won the men's division of the HCA Virginia 8k
(23:07), while 28-year-old Samia Akbar of Herndon, VA, captured first place
in the women's division (27:00).
An all-time record of 16,106 runners participated in this weekend's events.
The 26.2-mile SunTrust Richmond Marathon drew in 4,952 runners, while the
McDonald's Half Marathon had 6,605 and the HCA Virginia 8k had 4,549
participants.
Among the SunTrust Richmond Marathon and McDonald's Half Marathon
participants were nearly 150 participants in the Runner's World Challenge.
The Runner's World Challenge offers an exclusive opportunity to train with
the Runner's World Magazine. The training plan was created by Runner's
World's Chief Running Officer, Bart Yasso. This marks the second
consecutive year that Runner's World has chosen Richmond, VA, as a site for
the challenge.
In addition to a record-breaking number of participants, spectators also
crowded the streets cheering and handing out water and snacks to the
runners. There were 28 bands and musical performers lining the courses as
well as 26 official cheering stations and four SunTrust/NBC 12 Party Zones.
The 2011 SunTrust Richmond Marathon is scheduled for Saturday, November 12.
A special $55 marathon entry fee and $45 half marathon entry fee is
available until midnight on Sunday, November 14. This offer is only
available online at www.richmondmarathon.org.
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